A more general selection of test shots are revealed on this page and next to act as an evaluation of the Nikon S3100 in a variety of shooting conditions.

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This extreme wide angle composition, shot at 26mm equivalent, shows how much can be shoehored into frame with the S3100. If we’re being picky there is some softening of detail towards the corners and also some pixel fringing noticeable in the top left hand corner of the frame where the tree branches meet the sky – but neither are surprises on snapshot model.

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A second image taken from the same vantage point but now at the telephoto end of the zoom (130mm equivalent) to display the breadth of the focal range on offer in practical terms. This shot is a little softer overall and we struggled on occasion to get pin sharp images shooting handheld at this setting, whereupon camera shake became a problem, even in broad daylight.

Our standardised rusty gate shot taken at the telephoto end of the zoom. There’s sufficient detail here to display the flaky paint and rusting metal, but again we would have preferred a sharper image overall.

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Not the most visually arresting of subjects but a good example of the level of detail that can be captured by the S3100’s lens and sensor combo. Like our initial wide angle shot at the top of the page, what’s centre of frame is sharper than toward the edges, but it seems churlish to grumble that a £100 camera doesn’t perform quite as well as one three times the price. For the money, this is a good performance.